TUSCALOOSA — Two games into his Alabama career and 17-year-old Alabama freshman Kira Lewis Jr. already looks like a superstar in the making.

Lewis made his first three 3-pointers in the first half for 13 of his team-leading 21 points to infuse much-needed life into a sluggish Crimson Tide offense in Sunday’s 81-73 win over Appalachian State.

"(He was) a major spark," Tide senior center Donta Hall said Sunday. "Honestly, the two big 3s he hit at the beginning of the game, getting to the basket, driving the ball hard, that's something he's been talking about (doing) himself."

Hall contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the young season while sophomore wing John Petty added 13 points for Alabama (2-0).

Appalachian State (1-1) was led with 22 points from forward Isaac Johnson while sharpshooting guard Ronshad Shabazz had 21 points and accounted for five of the Mountaineers’ nine 3-pointers in the game.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Ingram returns, but Lewis sparks things at PG

Alabama junior guard Dazon Ingram (12) puts up a shot in a game against Appalachian State on Nov. 11, 2018 from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Photo by Robert Sutton/Alabama athletics)(Photo: Robert Sutton
Robert Sutton, Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics)

Redshirt junior guard Dazon Ingram made his season debut Sunday, coming off the bench at the first media timeout after sitting out last week’s opener with an ankle sprain.

But it was Ingram’s young replacement that made the biggest difference Sunday.

Seventeen-year-old Kira Lewis drew his second straight start at point guard, and immediately sparked a consistently inconsistent Alabama offense that appeared listless without his youthful energy on the court.

Lewis scored 6 quick points off two early 3-pointers and then got back into the mix with another 3 from the top of the key with 6 minutes remaining as part of his 13-point first half to lead the team.

"I just think he made some shots, he was in a pretty good rhythm," fourth-year head coach Avery Johnson said of Lewis. "His teammates found him, we made some really crisp on-time, on-target passes and he converted them. ... He was able to get inside the defense, but also made some shots for us that gave us a big boost, especially to start the game."

Lewis provided another spark in the second half after Alabama opened on a 2-of-12 shooting slump, putting in a layup with 13:34 left to pull within 48-46 of Appalachian State.

A fingertip roll by Lewis with 9 ½ minutes remaining gave the Tide its first 3-point advantage since halftime, and his layup with 7:32 left capped a 10-0 run over a 3-minute span to put Alabama ahead 64-57 entering the homestretch.

"I feel like he stepped up, showed a lot of maturity from practice, ... and we push him, so he showed he can respond to that and really answered today," Petty said. "He brought a lot of energy to our team and we congratulate him for that."

After making strides this week at practice, Ingram (ankle) dressed out and warmed up with his teammates before the game, signaling his debut was imminent.

Ingram started 0-of-2 from the field but was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the first half Sunday before fouling out with 2:06 remaining. Ingram finished with 8 points, most coming on a 6-of-6 showing from the charity stripe, and 8 rebounds in his return to the floor.

Alabama goes cold from deep in 2H

Alabama head coach Avery Johnson argues a call in a game against Appalachian State on Nov. 11, 2018 from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Photo by Robert Sutton/Alabama athletics)(Photo: Robert Sutton
Robert Sutton, Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics)

John Petty’s second 3-pointer gave Alabama a 38-35 lead right before halftime Sunday, and would be the last one of the night for the entire team.

The Crimson Tide went 0-for-6 from behind the arch in the second half, including several air ball-misses from both Lewis and Petty down the stretch. Lewis finished 3-of-6 from 3-point range, missing his final three tries, while Petty was 2-of-5 as Alabama made just 5-of-16 from deep in the game.

"We were just on our heels a little bit offensively, I just didn't see the passion and the aggression, putting pressure on their defense," Johnson said. "So that was the message at half."

Junior wing Tevin Mack, considered one of Alabama’s best shooters this season, was 0-of-2 from 3-point range and managed just 2 points in the game.

It was part of a porous all-around shooting effort Sunday, as Alabama shot just 25-of-65 from the floor (38.5 percent), including opening making just 6 of its first 21 field goal tries through the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Meanwhile, Appalachian State’s Ronshad Shabazz shot at will from 3-point range, connecting on 5-of-7 from deep, while Isaac Johnson did his damage inside with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting around the basket. Justin Forrest added 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3, as the Mountaineers shot 49-percent for the game, including 13-of-23 in the first half alone.

Jones struggles early but comes through in 2H

Alabama sophomore wing Herbert Jones (10) takes a free throw shot as fellow sophomore John Petty (23) looks on in a game against Appalachian State on Nov. 11, 2018 from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Photo by Robert Sutton/Alabama athletics)(Photo: Robert Sutton
Robert Sutton, Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics)

Shooting woes from both the floor and free throw line continued to plague the Tide on Sunday, with sophomore wing Herbert Jones opening up just 1 for his first 7 from the charity stripe in the first half.

But Jones found his rhythm in the second half, including connecting on a pair of free throws and then adding a jumper to put Alabama ahead 62-57 with 8:12 left to finish with 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting Sunday.

Hall, who led the team with 20 points in the season opener last week, scored 9 of his 12 points in the second half to go along with a team-high 12 rebounds as Alabama once again controlled the boards with a 45-to-39 rebounding advantage.

Alabama opened the second half making just 2 of its first 12 field goals and was 6-of-21 from the floor, including 0-of-5 from 3-point range, with 10 minutes left in the game.

Thankfully, the Tide’s aggressiveness around the basket was enough to draw fouls and put Alabama on the line a whopping 43 times to finish 26-of-43 from the charity stripe. Jones finished the game 6-of-16 from the free throw line while Petty was 7-of-10.